The Magical Girl Encounters the Fearsome Bandits (1)
Planet Mekrak was nothing like Earth in climate or environment. Naturally, the creatures that lived here were completely different too.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
“Uwaaaaaah?!”
—And right now, I was being ambushed by a gigantic eel-like monster I’d never seen before that had burst out of the sand, sending me flying high into the air!!!
“Kei~! Watch out~!”
“S-Save meeeeee~~~~!”
One moment I was soaring high in the sky, the next I was plummeting straight toward the monster’s gaping, fleshy maw.
‘I-I’m being eaten!!!!!’
I flailed my limbs in desperation, but it was useless. My body was swallowed whole with a loud gulp.
‘Uuuuugh... It’s so wet... and gross...!!’
I tried to push away the slimy, meaty sensation, but my body was helplessly sucked deeper and deeper inside. The growing pressure made it hard to breathe.
> Trait Added: Smooth Skin
> The monster’s bodily fluids with unknown components have made your skin smooth. Your skin will always be glossy and full of soft elasticity.
This damn system voice had zero sense of timing. Seriously.
‘What do I do now...? Should I transform? But the Tool’s battery is already unstable....’
The energy-saving mode costume I was wearing couldn’t bring out my full power. It was still several times stronger and tougher than a normal person, but it wasn’t nearly enough to take down a monster this size.
However, I couldn’t just change costumes freely here. Without using the Hyperdimensional Tool on my wrist, I couldn’t transform, and its battery drained ridiculously fast.
What should I do? Burn through the battery right here? Or try to find another way out?
While I was still hesitating, the next moment made me freeze in shock.
“M-My clothes are melting?!”
The monster’s saliva was somehow harmless to my skin, yet it was slowly dissolving my clothes instead!
Even if it was just the energy-saving mode, it was still a magical girl costume! My bare skin was being exposed without mercy!
> Trait Activated: Mild Poisoning
Apparently the fluid even had a mild poison effect.
‘Ugh... Even the wildlife on this planet is perverted...!’
If I stayed trapped any longer, I had no idea what would happen to me. I made up my mind and reached for the bracelet on my left wrist.
Just as I was about to activate Costume Change, something happened.
SHLAAAASH—!
The monster that had swallowed me suddenly convulsed violently, and the crushing pressure around me vanished in an instant.
‘Light...!’
A gap had opened nearby. I swam through the monster’s slimy innards and forced my way out through the opening.
“Pwahhhhh! I’m alive...!”
“You got eaten again and just lay there like an idiot, huh.”
Danbi greeted me with a look that clearly said “are you stupid?” as I finally crawled free. She held a massive axe-sword that looked like it had been carved from stone, while Danae stood beside her gripping a sleek sword.
When I turned around, the giant eel-like monster was writhing on the ground just as I’d glimpsed earlier. Its fleshy texture and color were enough to kill anyone’s appetite.
“Eugh... Thanks, I’m alive... More importantly, my whole body feels sticky.....”
“Want a bath, Kei~? Or should we take one together~?”
“No thanks.”
With a sigh, I opened the Point Shop. I wanted to save points if possible, but this was an unavoidable expense.
* * *
Last night, after the battle at Danae’s Castle, we had been transported to Mekrak. Probably because Blue Sapphire’s magic had malfunctioned, we were dumped in this empty wasteland instead of some city.
A desert wasteland I’d never experienced before.
At first I’d been completely flustered, but with Danae and Danbi around—and later contact with Cookie—I managed to calm down a little.
“Haaaah... Bathing in a hot drum barrel while feeling the cool desert wind....”
Soaking in the warm water filling the drum, I murmured contentedly. It felt so good my body might melt.
Now it almost felt like some kind of special themed trip. Experiencing things impossible on Earth made my chest swell with a strange excitement.
‘...Can I really call that thing a moon?’
The pitch-black night sky was filled with countless stars. In Mekrak’s night sky, instead of a moon, there floated a large red sphere, and beside it a blue sphere about a third its size.
Maybe I could call them the red moon and blue moon. Thanks to the two light sources, the night felt a little brighter than on Earth.
Nothing but sand dunes all around. Two moons hanging in the sky. A planet different from Earth. All sorts of thoughts came to mind.
“Kei~ The fish is all grilled~.”
“...I’m coming out now~.”
I had been about to lose myself in sentiment while submerged in warm water when Danae’s voice snapped me back to reality. I climbed out, dried myself with a towel bought from the Point Shop, and fastened the bracelet-shaped Tool back onto my wrist.
Its official name was the Hyperdimensional Tool. To use my powers as a magical girl on Mekrak, which had a different environment from Earth, I needed this. To conserve battery, I usually stayed in the energy-saving costume.
“Energy-saving mode costume.”
When I muttered at the bracelet, my body was enveloped in light, and a skintight leotard-like suit top appeared. It resembled the magical girl costume I usually wore, but with almost no frills—and most importantly, that short skirt that had barely existed was completely gone!
What the hell was this perverted outfit?
...Anyway, the hem of the skintight suit barely covered my panties, and any real movement would expose everything. It felt like wearing a dress with an insanely short hem.
‘...If it weren’t cold, I wouldn’t even bother transforming.’
Desert nights were cold. And to preserve stamina, I had to at least maintain the energy-saving mode transformation state.
Beneath a slanted rock wall that somewhat blocked the sand and dust, we had set up camp. We pitched a tent and lit a campfire behind it to grill fish. Various small pots and other necessities were lined up nearby.
It really felt like camping.
When we first landed in the desert it had seemed hopeless, but now that we’d stocked up on supplies from the Point Shop, I surprisingly felt at ease.
“I never thought we could buy fish or meat from the Shop....”
“There were survival kits and tents too. Water, drum barrels... Is there anything it doesn’t have?”
“Hehe, you’d be surprised how useful some of the stuff is once you farm for it~. More importantly, here.”
“Thanks. ...Eating grilled salted fish in the middle of a desert is such a luxury.”
“But I still don’t want to eat with this bitch.”
“E~h. Danbi, let’s get used to each other already~ Or what, wanna have some fun tonight~♥?”
“Get away from me, you crazy woman! Stop poking me with your chest! Don’t touch me!”
“Aww~ You’re hurting my feelings~.”
“I miss Witch Girl....”
While eating the grilled fish, rice, and side dishes from the grill, I stared blankly at the campfire. Desert nights were cold. Even a single fire like this was a huge comfort.
This campfire and the torches had all been bought from the Point Shop. The tent was spacious and comfortable too. The fresh vegetables and fish that had been delivered upon purchase were delicious.
‘It really feels like we’re just camping.’
I was starting to relax when the crude bracelet on my wrist began to vibrate, as if scolding me.
BUZZ——
“Kei, it’s ringing~.”
“How rude, interrupting our meal....”
When I touched the bracelet on my wrist, it glowed faintly and a holographic screen appeared in midair. A cute cat plush doll waved at us with a “Hi~”.
It was Cookie.
Cute, but that face still pissed me off no matter how many times I saw it.
[Am I so cute that you’re making that sour face, nyang?]
“Tch.”
[I was going to ask how you’re doing, nyang, but from the looks of it you seem fine. You’re not the type to just die after being thrown into a desert, nyang.]
That sounded like both a compliment and an insult. I was going to tear that thing in half when I got back.
“More importantly, did you find the teleport gate or whatever it was?”
Yesterday, after buying this Hyperdimensional Tool and finally establishing communication, I’d explained the situation and Cookie had gone to check the teleport gate directly. If it worked, we planned to use it to return to Earth.
But Cookie shook her head coldly.
[I saw it, nyang, but it’s completely broken. You guys were lucky to even make it to Mekrak. If your luck had been worse, you might’ve been stranded in the middle of space....]
“Augh.......”
Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine. In that case, arriving on Mekrak had actually been fortunate.
[If I could open my own gate, I could bring you all over, nyang, but the signal doesn’t reach where you are. It’s like the antenna hasn’t been set up?]
“I know. That’s why we’re using this.”
I shook the Hyperdimensional Tool on my wrist. Not only could Cookie’s magic not reach us, but without this we couldn’t properly perform Costume Change either.
[In that case, you’ll have to secure a way back to Earth on your own, nyang.]
Cookie nodded and began listing the “means” one by one.
There were currently three ways for us to return to Earth.
One: Buy parts for a teleport gate from the Point Shop and install it.
Two: Use an existing teleport gate on Mekrak.
Three: Reach a place within range of Cookie’s magic.
[Important buildings probably have frequent communication with other planets, nyang. If we can pick up signals from Earth, my magic should reach too, nyang.]
It was like a cellphone. Anyway, from what Cookie said, what we had to do was clear.
“So in the end, we have to get to a city somehow.”
Whether by slaughtering weirdos to earn points, stealing a teleport gate if they had one, or infiltrating a top-priority facility that communicated with space to use their gate—we had to reach a city full of Mekrak residents either way.
A city full of the disgusting weirdos who had invaded Earth.
The thought made me sigh, but we couldn’t just stay holed up in the desert forever.
[Also, using your communicator as a reference point, nyang, I’ve detected concentrated biological reactions within a 10km radius. It might not be a city, but there could be a village, nyang?]
“Really?!”
[That’s right, nyang. They might be animals, but the movement patterns feel like intelligent lifeforms, nyang.]
That was good news. If we could beat them up and find out where the city was, we’d be set.
[The battery’s precious so I’ll stop here, nyang. Contact is pointless anyway so keep it to a minimum. You’ll need it for transforming too, nyang. Save the battery, nyang.]
With that, Cookie unilaterally cut the communication.
Once again, only the crackling sound of the campfire remained in the desert night.
“......That’s what she said. Are you two okay with it?”
After ending the call, I asked the two who were still focused on their meal.
“What’s there to ask? We don’t have any other choice. I need to update my SNS. Let’s hurry back.”
“I’m worried about Peanut too. I want to go back soon~.”
Danbi answered as if it were a bother, while Danae replied with a bright smile. Danbi clearly didn’t like Danae, and I had my own accumulated grievances, but for now we decided to set everything aside. Punishment and revenge could wait until after we returned to Earth.
“I need to hurry back and watch the new Witch Girl too.”
After saying that, a resentful feeling welled up and I shot Danae a glare. After all, I’d only been dragged here by this woman while trying to attend the new Witch Girl movie premiere.
Since we had to search for the village tomorrow, we decided to sleep early.
* * *
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE——
“Kei, Kei!”
“Ah... Mmm?”
I woke to Danae’s urgent voice in the middle of the night. Only after waking did I realize a terrifying rumbling was being transmitted through the ground.
“H-Huh? What’s going on?”
“......Multiple presences. What is this?”
While I was still dazed and trying to grasp the situation, Danbi—who had already woken up completely—turned her sharp gaze outside the tent. The rumbling footsteps surrounded our tent before suddenly stopping all at once.
What followed the footsteps was a booming voice.
『Come out right now!!!』
A slightly hoarse voice. It wasn’t Korean, but thanks to the Mekrak language pack I’d purchased and installed, I could understand it just fine.
“......What should we do?”
When I asked the two who were still on guard, Danae seemed to think for a moment before suggesting we go out and check. Danbi and I both nodded slightly.
After making sure we were ready to transform at any moment, we stepped outside——
“As I thought, magical girls!!! You all belong to me now!!! You belong to Tutu, the bandit king of this wasteland!!!! Kkakakakakakakakaka!!!”
Men with a bandit-like atmosphere, riding atop strange lizards, had swarmed in and surrounded us and our tent.